Where to find a holiday??

[cakeaddict]

This is a bit of a basic question, and I'm sure I'm missing something obvious, but how do you 'find' your summer holidays? I'm struggling for inspiration and can only find big commercial tour operators that either do full on package holidays with all the kids clubs / entertainment etc that involves, or very specialised / chic (i.e. very expensive!) places.

I'm looking for something in the middle - short-haul beach holiday, self-catering, reasonable standard of accommodation but not £££, nice beach / pool, town or village nearby to have a potter round and the odd meal out... that's about it. The kids (age 5 & 2) are not yet at the stage where they want entertainment laid on, and we don't particularly want places with creches etc so don't want to pay for all those extras we wouldn't use.

In the past have tended to put things together independently from owners direct etc, and used totstofrance once too which was good. But now DS1 is at school we are being forced to holiday in August for the first time and I'm at the prices... I was thinking something a bit more 'packaged' might help with value for money, but I guess I'm not that keen on package holidays...

Any inspiration / tips ???

I do owners direct or holiday rentals and easyjet flights

For the holiday you describe I'd stay in the UK with someone like John Fowler. (eg Kenigie Manor near Penzance). Not sure its cheaper than going abroad but Cornwall is fab for kids.

Have you looked at bluestone in Wales? Forest holidays look good to us, or if you fancy camping a few places have tents they let out, I know long thorn farm in dorest has tipi's you can rent

Grimma I was wondering about Cornwall for a change, depends whether or not I can persuade DH... he likes his sun and I'd never hear the end of it if we had a fortnight of grotty weather!

ChasingSquirrels, that's what I've done before... I was just wondering if there were other options.

Ah well, the weather ... that is the problem with the UK if you've a sun-worshipper. My DH and DD don't like it overly hot so Cornwall and North Wales suited them well. You just need wetsuits and good attitude
Anglesey has its own microclimate and theres lots to do in North Wales which isn't weather dependent.

I still find doing it independently cheaper than the packages .
It is a bit the first time you have to pay school holiday prices but I think doing cheap scheduled flights /independent accommodation etc still works out best value?

We have always done a week in UK either May half term, or the week before when the kids weren't at school and the first few years they were (and think I am doing that again this year - purely cost based). Use to be cornwall (bosinver but before it hot as expensive as it is now) and recently small caravan sites (Dorset, nr Eastbourne, think Norfolk this year).

Then 10 days in Spain via easyjet and owners direct. Look for the cheaper flights, prices drop alot at the end of Aug rather than the beginning. Last few years we have probably paid about £1,600 for flights and accommodation, with living expenses on top - but that can be cheap if you self cater.

We tend to pull things together for ourselves as i just don't trust package holidays (all lace and no knickers as my nan used to say!) the place never looks like the pics whereas if you do your own research you can go where you want when you want. agree with over the prices for school summer hols but not much choice unless you take them out - we do! We use travel books and guides - lonely planet, unofficial wdw guide that sort of thing. tripadvisor with a pinch of salt but mainly when we find something we like we ask lots of questions. heard that bosinver was very nice but is expensive compared to wringworthy holiday cottages where we stay when we go to cornwall. Also in england try the tourist info offices they are really helpful. it is a longer process but you will get something fab at the end i am sure.

Thanks for the ideas. Still looking, but agreeing that avoiding packages seems to be the way to go. Just need to find somewhere affordable now... seen some great apartments in Turkey on holiday rentals at a very reasonable price, but flights are horrendously expensive and worried it might be too hot in August. Also looking at Spain, but want to avoid the Costa del Sol type places - anyone any good suggestions? Or it still might be Cornwall...
Not that I'm indecisive or anything...

If you are thinking of Cornwall then Sands resort outside of Newquay is fantastic for families, we tend to go at the end of august. Also Villa Servers for apartments or villas in and around Moraira in Spain have been very good too. Spain is warm enough to go in the summer half term at the beginning of June so the prices aren't too bad!!

When my children were younger I booked holidays to Ibiza and Majorca and Coma-Ruga in Costa Dorada that sound like the type of one you are looking for. I used a website called Travel Republic, found hotels and apartments I liked the look of and then looked them up on TripAdvisor. It does take a bit of time but we go abroad a few times a year and haven't had a muck up yet.
It is neary always cheaper to fly out on a Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday and back home on a Thursday or Friday.
Portugal could be a good choice as not quite as expensive as a lot of the Med for eating out.

I will second who ever said mid-August on is cheaper as many places schools are back on. If schools back on for you in Sept -- the first week of Sept is almost reasonably priced as people seem to like to prepare for back to school.

I would say take a week's holiday at Whitsun half term instead and go closer to home in Aug which is what we do once DC started school. Weather is hot but not too hot in the Med, prices are cheaper and there are less people!

when we were tied to school holidays we did Spain at Easter (late one, mid April), May half-term & Oct half-term using holiday-rentals

weather was mostly fab even in April

we stayed in Costa del Sol for 2 of them & Costa Tropical for the other - if you avoid eg Torremolinos there are some lovely places in Costa del Sol

May half-term is probably the best time weather-wise & if you can squeeze in a couple of days either side (ie if OK with school) you can pay mid-week rates for flights & also get the best part of a fortnight